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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24446119">Winner Winner Romantic Dinner</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangaFreak15/pseuds/MangaFreak15'>MangaFreak15</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Parent Kurosaki Isshin, Getting Together, M/M, Matchmaking, Post-Winter War (Bleach), UraIchi Week 2020, the twins just want Ichigo to be happy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:33:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,541</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24446119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangaFreak15/pseuds/MangaFreak15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yuzu and Karin are only twelve, but that's old enough to realize that the weird, eccentric shopkeeper Urahara makes their brother <em> happy </em> when there's no one else left, and that's enough reason for the twins to helpfully nudge them in the right direction. Starting with dinner, because apparently Urahara can't cook to save his life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kurosaki Ichigo/Urahara Kisuke</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>692</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>UraIchi Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Winner Winner Romantic Dinner</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I meant for this to be for the day 7 prompt POV Outsider, but then Yuzu took over ¯\_(ツ)_/¯</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Karin can’t say she likes Urahara, exactly. He is strange and otherworldly, with far too much guilt and hungry intelligence wrapped up into one, always obfuscating his true intentions and running circles around everyone else with his weird archaic speak and quadruple-layered word plays. But he doesn’t try to dissuade her from picking up the reins when she comes calling—even gives her numerous self-defense products for free. And in the aftermath of Ichigo losing his powers and his place as their protector, he’s the only one of her brother’s regular acquaintances who doesn’t shy away from keeping contact (despite Goat-Face’s vehemence that Ichigo be left out of all Shinigami-related business from now on, which earns him a mighty kick to the balls), and that alone makes him alright in her books. </p><p> </p><p>Yuzu may not be privy to the same secrets as the rest of her family, being the only one of them who can’t see ghosts (well, she’s not the only one anymore and it hurts her to think about it), but she’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way that her brother comes home everyday perpetually sad, and maybe a little lost, as a world that was once so open to him has firmly shut its doors in his face. She listens to him when he sits her down the first night and tells her that he can’t see ghosts anymore, that she’ll have to be more careful from now on (the tired expression on his face breaks her eleven year old heart). She makes all of his favorites for dinner that night. But a week later, Ichigo comes home late, apologizes for missing mealtime with them, and actually smiles when he ruffles her hair. It doesn’t take much digging to learn that the ‘weird old man’ who raised Jinta and Ururu is the source of her brother’s newfound happiness, and she sends him a gift basket of goodies in thanks.</p><p> </p><p>The more time that passes, the happier that Ichigo is whenever he spends time with the eccentric shopkeeper. Isshin tries to cut in more than once, attempting to tear down the fragile new bond that starts to develop between them in the months following the end of the Winter War. Yuzu and Karin foil him every single time.</p><p> </p><p>Yuzu has to put her foot down when he crosses a line and forbids Ichigo from going to the Shouten, “No! Dad, you don’t understand how much he needs this!”</p><p> </p><p>Karin joins her in ganging up on their dumbass father. For a twelve year old girl, her glare is absolutely ferocious, enough that Isshin flinches back at the sight of it, “Ichi-nii doesn’t need you breathing down his neck all the time! If he wants to go visit Urahara-san, then by all rights, he should be able to!”</p><p> </p><p>The man tries to argue his case, but it’s flimsy at best and boils down to the fact that he doesn’t want Ichigo anywhere near the spiritual world now that he’s outlived his usefulness (he doesn’t say that part to them, but it comes across loud and clear to the twins anyway). Karin smacks him down with all the fury of a prepubescent girl. Yuzu helpfully aids her by tossing their biggest frying pan straight into his face and leaving him a moaning, groaning mess on the floor by their front door.</p><p> </p><p>Ichigo gathers them both in his arms and hugs them tight, whispering, “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>The twins love their brother more than anything else in the world, and they will do everything they can to give him a chance for a life of happiness that he deserves. To that end, it seems they will need to step up their game in order to solidify the bond between Urahara and Ichigo so that no force on Earth (or in Soul Society) can keep them apart.</p><p> </p><p>Thanks to Jinta, Yuzu knows that Urahara possesses no cooking skill whatsoever. All of their meals are made by Tessai-san, who is about as helpful as he is scary.</p><p> </p><p>So one day, while Karin is distracting their brother and Isshin is off doing who-knows-what with that stoic doctor friend of his, Yuzu marches up to the Shouten and announces that she is going to try her hand at teaching Urahara how to make a simple meal.</p><p> </p><p>Jinta turns green at the thought of the mad scientist in the kitchen, Ururu gazes at her solemnly and tells her good luck, and Tessai’s mustache quivers like he’s about to start crying in gratitude.</p><p> </p><p>Yuzu gears up and hands the man an apron that she’d sewn herself, slapping her (very-detailed) cooking notebook down on the counter for him to follow. It can’t be that hard, right?</p><p> </p><p>Urahara burns the rice three times, sets fire to his pot of miso soup, turns his eggs into scrambled charcoal, converts salad dressing ingredients into an unrecognizable black slime, and explodes his fish before Yuzu feels like throwing in the towel. She doesn’t understand how <em> anyone </em> can be this bad at cooking. Even their dad can at least make a decent batch of rice!</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t give up though, not when she sees the humorless twinkle of resignation in those old gray eyes. She’s got one last card to play.</p><p> </p><p>“Urahara-san,” she says sweetly, clasping her hands together in front of her. “You like Ichi-nii, don’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes? Of course I do,” Urahara replies, bemused.</p><p> </p><p>“No, I mean, you <em> like </em> like him,” Yuzu presses.</p><p> </p><p>That’s when he pauses and gives her that painfully fake smile, the one that masks his true feelings because he doesn’t know how to deal with them. She’s seen the same exact expression on Ichigo’s face more than once during the week after he lost his powers, when he hadn't wanted to let on how much he was hurting from the loss, but had been too drained to completely hide it. “Whatever do you mean, Kurosaki-chan?”</p><p> </p><p>If that's how he wants to play, then she's not going to be fair this time. She turns on the best weapon in her arsenal: the Ultimate Puppy Dog Eyes of Doom, Kurosaki-style. Not even Karin is immune to it. Everyone she’s ever used it on crumples like wet tissue paper in an instant.</p><p> </p><p>Urahara is apparently no different. He looks away, murmuring shakily, “That’s dangerous, Kurosaki-chan.”</p><p> </p><p>“But I’m right, aren’t I?” Yuzu insists.</p><p> </p><p>The scruffy blonde heaves a sigh, “Yes, you are.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” She drops the puppy eyes and pats him on the arm to make him look at her again. “Ichi-nii likes you too, you know. Don’t you think he would be happy if you made something for him for once?”</p><p> </p><p>“But I make things all the time—”</p><p> </p><p>Yuzu actually <em> rolls her eyes </em> in exact imitation of her twin. Men are so <em> stupid </em> sometimes. “But you don’t make those for him specifically,” she argues, brandishing the wooden spatula she picks up off the counter. “It has to be special!”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t cook though,” he reminds her gently.</p><p> </p><p>“Because you’re not <em> trying!” </em> she bursts out, noticeably frustrated. The pre-pubescent hormones aren’t making things any better for her in terms of controlling her temper. Yuzu is the sweetest of the lot, yes, but she’s still a Kurosaki. And right now she embodies the phrase ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’ “Ichi-nii’s told me all about you and how you’re really great at inventing new things. He adores you, and I <em> know </em> you can do it if you put your mind to it. So why don’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>And then she starts crying, which makes Urahara visibly panic and flounder and not know what to do.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m… I’m sorry,” he finally says, flustered, and so far out of his element that Yuzu would have laughed any other time.</p><p> </p><p>As it is, she just wipes her tears on the back of her sleeve and thrusts the cooking notebook into his arms. “One more time,” she demands.</p><p> </p><p>This time Urahara doesn’t burn the rice, or set fire to his soup, or blacken his eggs, or screw up his salad, or blow up his fish. The meal he makes isn’t perfect (the rice a bit too dry, the eggs overcooked, the salad smeared with more oil than vinaigrette), but it’s a start. Yuzu gives him her best smile and tells him that he did a great job.</p><p> </p><p>Urahara smiles back. Not one of his false smiles, but a genuine one, a little soft, a little hesitant around the edges, but it reaches his eyes and makes him look much younger than he is.</p><p> </p><p>“If you don’t win Ichi-nii over with your best attempt at dinner tonight, I’ll be very disappointed,” Yuzu tells him primly as they clean up.</p><p> </p><p>He utters a quiet laugh and says, “Of course, Kurosaki-chan.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>That night, Ichigo doesn’t come home. He phones the house, and, when Yuzu picks up, tells her that he’ll buy her anything she wants tomorrow as thanks for finally getting Urahara to stop dancing around the issue and confess. They won’t be doing anything heavy, of course (Ichigo’s still just sixteen), but now Ichigo gets to add Urahara cuddles and kisses to his daily routine.</p><p> </p><p>Yuzu tells him to have fun, and hangs up.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please leave a comment before you go~</p></blockquote></div></div>
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